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Space: questions and answers

The most searched questions about Space, with a direct answer, an explanation and sources.

Moon and Mars
How long does it take a rocket to get to Mars?
About 200 days, according to NASA, is the length of the interplanetary cruise phase on typical trajectories. And the trip can only begin when Earth and Mars… more…
Rockets and launches
What space launch is happening today?
Almost every day at least one orbital rocket lifts off somewhere in the world, most often from SpaceX in Florida and California, or from China. To find out… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What does weightlessness feel like?
Like a fall that never ends. Earth's gravity in orbit is nearly as strong as on the ground; because the station and crew fall together, weight stops being… more…
Rockets and launches
What are space rockets?
Space rockets are vehicles propelled by expelling the gases from their own combustion at high speed, without needing outside air, which lets them work in a… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long astronauts stay on moon?
So far, between about 21 hours and three days. Apollo 11 spent roughly 21 and a half hours on the lunar surface in July 1969; Apollo 17, the last landing… more…
Rockets and launches
How much does the saturn v weigh?
A fully fuelled Saturn V weighed about 2,900 tonnes (some 6.4 million lb) at liftoff for the Apollo lunar missions, with propellant accounting for almost all… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many apollo 11 astronauts were there?
Three. Apollo 11 launched on 16 July 1969 with commander Neil Armstrong, lunar module pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and command module pilot Michael Collins… more…
Rockets and launches
Why does starship explode when it hits the water?
Starship explodes on splashdown because the test flights are designed to end at sea, where the vehicle is not recovered. When it touches the water it tips… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long blue origin in space?
A New Shepard flight lasts about ten to eleven minutes from liftoff to touchdown, of which roughly three minutes are spent in weightlessness above the Kármán… more…
Rockets and launches
What does "a rocket in your pants" mean?
"A rocket in your pants" isn't an aerospace term: it's a colloquial expression that uses the rocket as an image of speed and sudden takeoff. The comparison… more…
Steve Jurvetson (CC BY), vía commons
Rockets and launches
Why does a rocket fly?
A rocket flies because it expels gases at high speed through the nozzle and receives in return a thrust in the opposite direction, as described by Newton's… more…
European Space Agency (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How does Thomas Pesquet work on Earth?
Between flights, an ESA astronaut is a full-time employee based at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne. Thomas Pesquet alternates skill-maintenance… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do astronauts pee?
In a vacuum cleaner. Each astronaut has a personal funnel linked by a flexible hose to an airflow: suction, not gravity, carries the urine away. On the ISS… more…
Moon and Mars
How fast does Artemis 2 land?
Artemis II didn't land: it splashed down. Orion hit the atmosphere at 400,000 ft traveling at 35 times the speed of sound and reached the water at about 20… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does it take to die in space?
Without protection, very fast: after a sudden loss of pressure in a vacuum, one stays conscious for only about 14 seconds, and after one or two minutes the… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
Where do NASA's rockets launch from?
NASA's rockets launch mainly from Florida: Kennedy Space Center (Pad 39B for Artemis's SLS, 39A leased to SpaceX) and the neighboring Cape Canaveral Space… more…
Agencies and companies
Which F-104 was the first piloted aircraft to test a "ballute" braking parachute at supersonic speed?
It was a modified F-104B used to study the drag and stability of a ballute in the wake of an asymmetric aircraft. Deployments began at Mach 1.3 and 50,000 ft… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much memory did Apollo 11 have?
The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) had 2,048 words of erasable core memory and 36,864 words of fixed, woven core-rope program memory; each word was 16 bits… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long do astronauts sleep?
The International Space Station's schedule reserves 8.5 hours of sleep per night for each crew member. In practice, they sleep less: a study published in 2014… more…
Moon and Mars
What happens if Mars collides with Earth?
It can't happen on any human timescale: Mars's and Earth's orbits are separate and stable. The scenario only shows up in billion-year simulations — of more… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much a rocket cost?
Building a rocket costs anywhere from a few million dollars for a small launcher to more than a billion for a government heavy lifter. Published prices give… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long do astronauts go away for?
For a standard stay aboard the International Space Station, about six months. The real time away is longer: final training abroad, health isolation before… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long was the space race?
The Space Race is conventionally dated from the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957 to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project docking of July 1975, about… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How many horsepower does the Falcon 9 have?
Rockets aren't measured in horsepower, but in thrust: the Falcon 9's first stage's nine Merlin engines deliver 7,686 kN (1,710,000 lbf) combined at sea level… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What happens to gravity in space?
Gravity keeps acting everywhere; what disappears is weight. At 400 km altitude Earth's pull is still around 90% of its surface value, and it is this pull that… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is blue origin rocket called new glenn?
New Glenn is named after John Glenn, the NASA astronaut who in February 1962 became the first American to orbit the Earth aboard Friendship 7. Blue Origin… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How many rockets have been launched into space?
Since Sputnik in 1957, more than 7,000 orbital launch attempts have been made worldwide, of which just over 90% reached orbit (as of September 2026). The pace… more…
Moon and Mars
How does neil armstrong look like?
The face most people picture is not his: the gold-visored astronaut in the famous Apollo 11 photograph is Buzz Aldrin, shot by Armstrong. Armstrong himself is… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is gravity in space?
Gravity is everywhere in space, and that is exactly why orbits exist. At the International Space Station's altitude of about 400 km, Earth's pull is still… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long did the space race last?
About 18 years on the usual reckoning: from Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957 to the Apollo-Soyuz docking in July 1975, when American and Soviet crews shook hands… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts float?
Not because gravity has vanished: in low orbit it is almost as strong as on the ground. Astronauts float because they are falling, exactly like their… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much did Apollo 11 weigh?
The Apollo 11 spacecraft had two parts: the Columbia command and service module weighed 28,801 kilograms at launch, and the Eagle lunar module weighed 15,103… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
When does the Falcon 9 launch?
Falcon 9 doesn't have "a" launch: it's the world's busiest rocket and lifts off several times a week. In 2025 SpaceX launched it more than 150 times, almost… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Did astronauts really land on the Moon?
Yes. Twelve American astronauts walked on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972, across six Apollo landings. They brought back 382 kilograms of rock… more…
Mike Pennington (CC BY SA), vía commons
Rockets and launches
Is it legal to set off fireworks rockets on New Year's Eve?
Yes, in many countries it's legal to set off rockets on New Year's Eve, but only ones in the category approved for public use, with the required minimum age… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does artificial weightlessness work?
Weightlessness isn't generated, it's only achieved through free fall: in a parabolic flight, passengers and equipment float for about 20 to 30 seconds at the… more…
Rockets and launches
What happens when you light firework rockets?
Firework rockets are pyrotechnic items, not spacecraft: once the fuse is lit, the gunpowder burns and expels gases that propel the tube until a final charge… more…
Space station
How much longer will the ISS operate?
The United States, Japan, Canada and the ESA countries have committed to operating the ISS until 2030, and Russia until at least 2028; after that it will be… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much an astronaut salary?
There is no single astronaut salary. NASA's civilian astronauts are ordinary federal employees paid on the government-wide General Schedule, at grades set by… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How high do astronauts go?
It depends on the mission, and the range is enormous. Suborbital tourists reach just past 100 km. The International Space Station orbits near 400 km. Shuttle… more…
Rockets and launches
How fast do space rockets travel?
A rocket entering low Earth orbit reaches about 7.8 km/s, that is, about 28,000 km/h, in less than ten minutes from liftoff. Escaping Earth's gravity to… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
Why did a rocket launch today?
Rockets launch almost daily: in 2025 there were roughly 300 orbital launch attempts worldwide, more than half of them by SpaceX, so a launch on any given day… more…
Chapelle Musa 2 (CC BY SA), vía commons
Moon and Mars
Can the Moon be seen during the day?
Yes, and it happens almost daily. The Moon is above the horizon both day and night; what changes is that during the day it competes with a lit-up sky. NASA… more…
Moon and Mars
When does Artemis II reach the Moon?
Artemis II has already passed the Moon: its closest approach came on April 6, 2026, at 6,545 km (4,067 miles) above the lunar surface. It had launched on… more…
Rockets and launches
Where can you watch Starship?
Starship launches from Starbase, in Boca Chica, Texas, near the border with Mexico. The most common public viewing spot is South Padre Island, about 8 km… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Astronauts and life in space
How long spacex been around?
SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002, so it has been around for about 24 years (figure as of September 2026). It needed six years to reach orbit - Falcon 1… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How many Falcon 9 rockets have been launched?
The Falcon 9 has surpassed 500 launches since its debut in June 2010: in 2024 alone it flew 132 times, and in 2025 it passed the cumulative 500 mark (as of… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much gravity in space station?
Almost as much as on the ground: about 8.7 m/s² at the International Space Station's altitude of roughly 400 km (250 mi), close to 90% of the 9.80 m/s²… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts exist?
Because some tasks in space require hands, eyes, and judgment on site — repairs, experiments, sample collection — and because the human body itself is an… more…
Moon and Mars
How big is the Moon?
The Moon has an equatorial diameter of 3,476 km, less than a third of Earth's width, and a mean radius of 1,737.4 km. It orbits at an average distance of… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is an astronaut?
An astronaut is a person trained by an agency or a company to crew a spacecraft and work beyond the atmosphere. In Russia the term is cosmonaut, and in China… more…
MBH (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
Why did yuri gagarin died so young?
He was 34 when the MiG-15UTI trainer he was flying crashed on 27 March 1968, seven years after his single orbital flight. Grounded for years as a state… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts go to space?
To do things that can only be done in orbit. Permanent free fall gives a laboratory where flames, fluids, alloys and crystals behave differently, and the crew… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How to simulate gravity in space?
By spinning. Rotating a habitat pins its occupants against the outer wall, and that centrifugal acceleration behaves like weight; the smaller the radius, the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How tall is Thomas Pesquet?
ESA does not publish his height: Thomas Pesquet's official profile gives his birth, training and missions, not his measurements, which belong to medical… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do astronauts poop?
With a suction toilet. Without gravity nothing falls, so an airflow carries the waste away. The astronaut straps into the seat, urinates into a funnel… more…
Moon and Mars
How fast does the Moon rotate?
The Moon spins on itself very slowly: it takes 655.720 hours, that is 27.3217 days, practically the same time it takes to orbit Earth, which is why it always… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is gravity like in space?
There is gravity in space, and plenty of it: at the 400 km altitude of the International Space Station it works out to about 8.7 m/s², close to 90% of the… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
When does Falcon 9 launch?
There's no single date: Falcon 9 launches several times a week, often more than once on the same day, from Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center, and… more…
Rockets and launches
How high does Blue Origin reach?
Blue Origin's New Shepard climbs to about 105-107 km, just above the Kármán line (100 km), on a roughly ten-minute suborbital flight. New Glenn, its orbital… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How long does it take a rocket to reach space?
A rocket crosses the conventional boundary of space, the Kármán line at 100 km altitude, two to three minutes after launch. But reaching space isn't the same… more…
C1cada (CC BY SA), vía commons
Moon and Mars
What is the waning moon?
A waning moon is one that shows less lit surface each night: the stretch of the cycle running from full moon to new moon. In the eight-phase sequence NASA… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts land in water?
Because water absorbs an impact that would otherwise be punishing. A capsule under parachutes still arrives hard, and the sea spreads that blow across the… more…
Darja.Lavogina (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
Why does astronauts wear diapers?
Because there are stretches of a mission when leaving the suit is impossible. During launch, re-entry and spacewalks an astronaut may be sealed in for many… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long astronauts stay in space?
Most crew members fly a standard increment of about six months aboard the International Space Station. A few have stayed far longer: the endurance record for… more…
Moon and Mars
Why did apollo 11 go to the moon?
Because the United States had publicly committed itself to it. On 25 May 1961 Kennedy asked Congress to back landing a man on the moon and returning him… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much a rocket launch cost?
A launch is priced by capacity: about 7–8 million dollars for a small Electron, roughly 70 million for a Falcon 9 and close to 100 million for a Falcon Heavy… more…
Rockets and launches
How fast does Starship travel?
Starship reaches about 26,000-27,000 km/h (7.3-7.5 km/s) when the ship's engines shut down during test flights, just below orbital velocity, so it reenters in… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does it take astronauts to reach the Moon?
Apollo 11 took 102 hours and 45 minutes from launch on 16 July 1969 until it landed in the Sea of Tranquility: just over four days, with lunar orbit insertion… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What do astronauts eat?
Real food, not pills. On the International Space Station the menu includes dehydrated dishes rehydrated with water, pouched thermostabilized food, nuts, wheat… more…
Rockets and launches
Why is the universe so big?
The universe is so big because it has been expanding for about 13.8 billion years since the Big Bang, and that expansion is accelerating. The observable… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How old is Alexander Gerst?
Alexander Gerst was born on May 3, 1976, in Künzelsau, making him 50 years old (September 2026). The geophysicist has belonged to ESA's astronaut corps since… more…
Space history
Did the NF-104A carry a rocket engine alongside its jet engine?
Yes: besides its turbojet, the NF-104A carried a Rocketdyne AR2-3 mounted at the base of the tail fin. It produced 6,000 lbf (27 kN) of thrust and burned JP-4… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is there weightlessness in space?
Not because gravity is missing there: at the ISS's altitude, between 200 and 250 miles, nearly 90% of the pull found at Earth's surface still acts. The… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does gravity work in space for kids?
Gravity does not switch off in space. At the altitude of the International Space Station, about 400 km, Earth's pull is only a little weaker than on the… more…
YSSYguy (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
Why did yuri gagarin die?
Gagarin died in an aircraft crash, not in a spacecraft. On 27 March 1968 the MiG-15UTI trainer he was flying with instructor Vladimir Seryogin went down in… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is an astronaut?
An astronaut is a person trained and certified by a space program to crew a spacecraft or work on an orbital station. The term comes from the Greek "astron"… more…
Rockets and launches
Why does a rocket curve?
A rocket curves because orbit is a matter of sideways speed, about 7.8 km/s for low Earth orbit, not of altitude. It rises vertically only long enough to… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much money does Alexander Gerst have?
There is no reliable figure for Alexander Gerst's fortune; the amounts on celebrity websites are estimates without basis. What is documented is his… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do astronauts sleep in space?
Each astronaut on the International Space Station has an individual cabin about the size of a phone booth, with a sleeping bag strapped to the floor, ceiling… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much does a Falcon 9 cost?
A Falcon 9 launch costs a commercial customer around $70 million, according to the list price SpaceX publishes (as of September 2026). That's the price of the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many apollo 11 astronauts walked on the moon?
Two of the three. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon on 20 July 1969, spending about two and a half hours outside the lunar module Eagle… more…
Moon and Mars
Where did Apollo 11 land on the Moon?
Apollo 11 landed in the Sea of Tranquility, a basaltic plain on the near side, at 0.67416° N latitude and 23.47314° E longitude. The Eagle lunar module… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How do rockets get from Earth into space?
A rocket reaches space in about nine minutes: it lifts off vertically, tilts eastward to take advantage of Earth's rotation, drops the first stage once it… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why does astronauts float in space?
Because they are in free fall, not because gravity is absent. At the International Space Station's altitude of about 400 km, Earth still pulls almost as hard… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long did neil armstrong walk on the moon?
Neil Armstrong's moonwalk lasted about two and a half hours. He stepped onto the lunar surface late on 20 July 1969 and the extravehicular activity ran… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does the Artemis mission last?
Reaching the Moon takes the Orion spacecraft days, not hours. Artemis II is planned for about ten days total: outbound, a loop behind the Moon on a… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why are astronaut spacesuits white?
White reflects sunlight instead of absorbing it: in orbit, an astronaut goes from full, unfiltered sunlight to freezing shadow, and a light-colored shell… more…
Moon and Mars
How much time neil armstrong spent on moon?
Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours, 36 minutes on the Moon's surface, almost all of it inside the lunar module Eagle. Armstrong stepped onto the surface… more…
Rockets and launches
What does the saturn v look like?
Saturn V looked like a white needle 110.6 m (363 ft) tall and 10.1 m wide at the base, painted with black roll-pattern stripes, the words UNITED STATES and… more…
Image pending
Moon and Mars
When is the Moon at last quarter?
When we see half the lunar disk lit up after the full moon, in the final stretch of a phase cycle that repeats every 29.5 days. NASA calls it the last quarter… more…
Moon and Mars
Why apollo 11 name?
After the Greek god Apollo and the mission's place in a renumbered sequence. Abe Silverstein, a NASA official, named the Mercury and Apollo programs. Eleven… more…
MBH (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
What yuri gagarin eat in space?
Vostok 1 lasted 108 minutes on 12 April 1961, too short for a meal. Gagarin carried food in aluminium tubes, and Soviet accounts say he sampled pureed meat… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does an astronaut float in a space shuttle?
The same way as in any orbiting vehicle: the Shuttle, its crew and every loose object fell around Earth together at the same rate, so nothing pressed anyone… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long apollo 11 on moon?
Twenty-one hours and 36 minutes, from Eagle's touchdown at 20:17 UTC on 20 July 1969 to lift-off the following day. Only part of that was spent outside: the… more…
Rockets and launches
How does starship land?
Starship lands propulsively. The Super Heavy booster flies back, slows with a landing burn and is caught in the air by the arms of the launch tower, first… more…
Moon and Mars
Where does Artemis II launch from?
Artemis II already flew: it launched on April 1, 2026, from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It carried four astronauts, three from NASA… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many astronauts are there in the world?
Just over 700 people have flown to space since 1961, per the International Aeronautical Federation and agency counts; the figure tops 750 including commercial… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does Artemis II's toilet work?
Orion carries a complete, if tiny, space toilet on Artemis II, unlike Apollo, which made do with bags and urine hoses. Instead of gravity, an airflow carries… more…
European Space Agency (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How much does Thomas Pesquet earn?
Thomas Pesquet is an international civil servant of the European Space Agency, paid according to the coordinated organizations' salary scale, not a mission… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long was neil armstrong in space?
Neil Armstrong flew in space only twice. Gemini 8, in March 1966, was cut short by a stuck thruster and came down the same day it lifted off; Apollo 11, in… more…
Astronauts and life in space
When did astronauts first land on the moon?
On 20 July 1969. The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle touched down in the Sea of Tranquility that afternoon US time, and Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface a… more…
DLR German Aerospace Center (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How to create gravity in space?
By spinning the habitat. Rotation presses occupants against the outer wall, which becomes a floor, and the resulting sensation mimics weight. The other… more…
Template:Steve Boxall (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How is weightlessness produced?
Not by switching off gravity—which keeps acting—but through free fall: anyone falling at the same speed as everything around them feels no weight. The space… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does it take to become an astronaut?
Count years, not months. Before even applying, a higher degree plus several years of professional experience are required. ESA's selection launched in 2021… more…
Moon and Mars
When will SpaceX go to Mars?
There's no date. No Starship has yet departed for Mars, and in February 2026 Elon Musk placed the priority on the Moon: a lunar city "in under 10 years"… more…
Rockets and launches
What was the largest rocket ever made?
The largest rocket ever built is SpaceX's Starship: about 123 m (403 ft) tall, close to 5,000 t at liftoff and roughly 74 MN of thrust from 33 Raptor engines… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long was Alexander Gerst in space?
Alexander Gerst spent a total of 362 days in space over two long stays on the International Space Station. In 2014 he flew as flight engineer on the Blue Dot… more…
Rockets and launches
What is the biggest rocket ever made?
Starship is the biggest rocket ever made: the full stack with the Super Heavy booster stands more than 120 m tall, has a liftoff mass near 5,000 tonnes and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many astronauts have died in space?
Three. Only the Soyuz 11 crew - Georgi Dobrovolski, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev - have died in space itself, when their capsule lost its air in June… more…
Rockets and launches
Who invented rockets?
No single person: rockets emerged in China around the 13th century as gunpowder arrows. The modern rocket has three theoretical fathers, Tsiolkovsky, Goddard… more…
Image pending
Satellites and orbit
How fast do satellites orbit Earth?
The lower the orbit, the faster: satellites in low orbit fly at about 7.8 kilometers per second and complete one orbit in about 90 minutes. Geostationary… more…
Rockets and launches
Why is voyager 1 so fast?
Voyager 1 travels at about 17 km/s (61,000 km/h) relative to the Sun because it was launched on a Titan IIIE-Centaur in 1977 and then gained speed from… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does an astronaut toilet work?
Like a vacuum cleaner with built-in purification: a fan sucks air through the funnel and seat, doing what gravity does on Earth. Urine is separated and turned… more…
Moon and Mars
How much did neil armstrong get paid?
Nothing extra for the Moon. Armstrong flew as a civilian federal employee and was paid the salary of the post he held, with no per-flight fee; when NACA hired… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long did it take Apollo 11 to reach the Moon?
Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969 at 13:32 UTC and landed on July 20 at 20:17 UTC in the Sea of Tranquility: just over four days of outbound travel… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much astronaut make a year?
There is no single figure, and no payment per flight. NASA astronauts selected as civilians are federal employees paid on the General Schedule, so their… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Is there gravity in space?
Yes. Gravity is everywhere and never switches off; it is what keeps the Moon around the Earth and the Earth around the Sun. At the altitude of the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why did Thomas Pesquet go to space?
Because it's his job: recruited by ESA in 2009, he was assigned to two long-duration stays on the International Space Station, Proxima in 2016-2017 and then… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts wear space suits?
Because vacuum kills in seconds and the suit is a one-person spacecraft: it holds pressure around the body and supplies breathable oxygen, temperature… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts grow taller in space?
In microgravity, the spine is no longer compressed by body weight: it lengthens and the back's natural curves flatten out. The crew gains a few centimeters… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why did blue origin rocket explode?
No Blue Origin rocket has exploded with people aboard. The event usually meant is the uncrewed New Shepard flight NS-23 on 12 September 2022, when the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why does an astronaut float in space?
Not because gravity has gone. At the International Space Station's altitude of about 400 km (250 mi), Earth still pulls almost as hard as at sea level. The… more…
Rockets and launches
Who controls a rocket?
No one flies it by hand: it is governed by its flight computer, which corrects the trajectory many times per second by gimbaling the engines. On the ground, a… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why doesn't Thomas Pesquet want children?
The premise does not hold: no verifiable public statement indicates that Thomas Pesquet refuses to have children, and his private life is not space news. As… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
Why is falcon 9 launching?
Falcon 9 launches so often because it is the workhorse of SpaceX's own Starlink network: about two thirds of its flights carry Starlink satellites, several… more…
Moon and Mars
How many Artemis missions are there?
NASA doesn't currently give a fixed number of Artemis missions, but official sources allow four to be counted. Artemis I flew uncrewed on November 16, 2022… more…
Moon and Mars
What is apollo 11 mission?
The first mission to land humans on the Moon's surface. It launched on July 16, 1969 at 13:32 UT aboard a Saturn V from Pad 39A; the lunar module Eagle landed… more…
ESO/G. Brammer (CC BY), vía commons
Moon and Mars
Can Artemis be seen from Earth?
With a telescope, yes; with the naked eye, no. On April 8, 2026, the Falcon telescope at UNSW Canberra Space recorded Orion as the Artemis II crew headed… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do astronauts come back to Earth?
In a capsule. The spacecraft separates from the station, fires its engines against its direction of travel to lower its orbit, then plunges into the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts feel weightless in space?
They are not beyond gravity: they are falling. A spacecraft in orbit and everything inside it fall towards Earth together, and their sideways speed keeps them… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much did the astronaut cost?
It usually refers to the price of a seat: according to a Planetary Society study, a seat cost about $170 million on the Shuttle, $90 million on a Soyuz… more…
MBH (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
Why yuri gagarin died?
He died in a plane crash, not in space. On 27 March 1968 the MiG-15UTI trainer he was flying with instructor Vladimir Seryogin went out of control near… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How did Thomas Pesquet become an astronaut?
Through ESA's open selection campaign in 2008. A Supaéro-trained engineer turned Air France airline pilot, Thomas Pesquet was one of six candidates chosen… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is gravity important in space?
Because gravity is what organises space. It holds the ISS, the Moon and the planets in their orbits, builds stars and planets out of clouds of gas, and lets… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do astronauts poop in space?
In the toilet, but air replaces gravity. Crew members strap into a small seat, a fan sucks waste into a disposable bag inside a container, and urine goes into… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is Thomas Pesquet famous?
Thomas Pesquet is today's best-known French astronaut: an engineer and former airline pilot selected by ESA in 2009, he has flown twice to the International… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Where did the astronauts land?
On the Moon, all six Apollo crews that landed did so on the near side: Apollo 11 in the Sea of Tranquility in July 1969, followed by the Ocean of Storms, Fra… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long an astronaut can stay in space?
There is no fixed limit, only medical and logistical ones. Standard ISS tours last about six months; the record for a single flight is 437 days, set by Valeri… more…
Rockets and launches
Where does the world's largest rocket launch from?
Starship, the world's largest rocket, launches from Starbase, SpaceX's private site in Boca Chica, at the southern tip of Texas, near the border with Mexico… more…
Moon and Mars
Why does artemis mean?
Artemis is the Greek goddess of the Moon and Apollo's twin sister: NASA announced that name on May 16, 2019, for its return-to-the-Moon program, successor to… more…
Rockets and launches
When does a rocket launch into space?
A rocket launches when its launch window opens, the interval during which Earth's rotation lines up the pad with the desired orbit, and only if weather and… more…
Moon and Mars
How much apollo 11 cost?
NASA never published a price for Apollo 11 on its own; what is documented is the program. The United States spent $25.8 billion on Project Apollo between 1960… more…
Jimmy Baikovicius from Montevideo, Uruguay (CC BY SA), vía commons
Moon and Mars
Why does the Moon turn red?
The Moon turns red when it enters Earth's shadow. During a total lunar eclipse, the only light reaching its surface has passed through the edge of our… more…
Moon and Mars
How long does Artemis 2 take to reach the Moon?
Five days from liftoff: Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026, and passed its closest point to the Moon on April 6, flight day six. The outbound leg after… more…
Moon and Mars
Why doesn't Mars have a magnetic field?
Because its core's dynamo shut down billions of years ago. Mars has no global magnetic field today, but parts of the southern hemisphere's crust are strongly… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How high did astronauts jump on the moon?
Not very high: a few tens of centimetres at best, despite gravity being one sixth of Earth's at 1.62 m/s². A pressurised suit and a life-support backpack made… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do astronauts eat in space?
Meals on board are mostly dehydrated foods rehydrated with water from a dispenser, and ready-to-eat thermostabilized dishes warmed in the galley oven, along… more…
Rockets and launches
Why does a rocket launch straight up?
A rocket lifts off vertically to get out of the dense lower atmosphere as fast as possible, where drag and aerodynamic loads are highest, and to leave the pad… more…
Dean Sumith (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How much an astronaut earn in india?
India has no separate astronaut pay scale. The Gaganyaan astronaut-designates are serving Indian Air Force test pilots, so they draw the salary, rank pay and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long did the space race take?
Just under twelve years, if you date it from Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957 to the Apollo 11 landing on 20 July 1969. Stretch the definition to the Apollo-Soyuz… more…
Moon and Mars
How long does it take a rocket to reach the Moon?
Between eight hours and thirteen months, depending on the trajectory. New Horizons passed the Moon 8 hours and 35 minutes after launch; the Apollo missions… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long apollo 11 stay on the moon?
Apollo 11 spent 21 hours 36 minutes on the lunar surface. Eagle landed at 20:17:40 UTC on 20 July 1969 and lifted off at 17:54:01 UTC on 21 July. Only 2 hours… more…
Moon and Mars
Where does the Moon never get light?
At the bottom of some polar craters, especially at the lunar south pole: these are permanently shadowed regions, covering about 3% of the south pole, and some… more…
Moon and Mars
How many days did it take Apollo 11 to reach the Moon?
Four calendar days: Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969, at 13:32 UTC, and the Eagle landed on July 20 at 20:17:40 UTC, at 102 hours and 45 minutes into the… more…
Moon and Mars
How fast was Artemis II going?
Orion reentered the atmosphere at about 25,000 miles per hour (mph), according to NASA. During the mission it traveled 695,081 miles in total and reached… more…
Moon and Mars
Is it true that the Moon is moving away from Earth?
Yes. The Moon is moving away from Earth by about 3.8 centimeters a year. We know this because the Apollo 11 astronauts left a laser reflector on the surface… more…
Rockets and launches
How tall is Starship?
Starship stands 121 m (397 ft) tall in its first version and about 123 m in version 2, counting both the ship and the Super Heavy booster, with a 9 m… more…
Rockets and launches
How many rockets have exploded?
There's no official counter, but orbital launch records show several hundred failures since 1957 out of more than 6,500 attempts: just over 90% of launches… more…
Moon and Mars
How fast does Mars rotate?
Mars rotates on its axis in 24.6229 hours relative to the stars; its solar day, the Martian sol, lasts 24.6597 hours, slightly longer than Earth's. Its axis… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
What are the rockets?
The main orbital rockets in service are SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, ULA's Vulcan, NASA's SLS and Blue Origin's New Glenn; Ariane 6 and Vega C in… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much an astronaut is paid?
NASA's civilian astronauts are ordinary federal employees, paid on the General Schedule grade-and-step scale with no bonus per flight, per spacewalk or per… more…
NASA, ESA, the Hubble SM4 ERO Team and ST-ECF (CC BY), vía commons
Rockets and launches
When does space curve pdf?
Space doesn't curve at a specific moment: according to general relativity, published by Einstein in 1915, spacetime is curved whenever there is mass or… more…
Rockets and launches
When do Fourth of July fireworks go off?
The "rockets" of the Fourth of July are fireworks, not spacecraft, and they boom after dusk: most U.S. shows start between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. local time. The… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long astronauts stay in space station?
A standard International Space Station expedition lasts about six months. Crews launch on Soyuz or Crew Dragon, hand over to their replacements and come home… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts need a special suit to breathe?
There's no air in space: no oxygen to breathe and no pressure for the lungs to absorb it. The suit supplies its own oxygen, maintains an artificial pressure… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much a rocket weight?
Rockets range from about 13 t for Rocket Lab's Electron to roughly 549 t for Falcon 9, 2,800 t for Saturn V and close to 5,000 t for Starship with its Super… more…
Moon and Mars
How did Mars lose its atmosphere?
For lack of a global magnetic field and sufficient mass. More than four billion years ago, Mars's internal dynamo shut down, exposing its atmosphere to the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does a space mission last?
The current standard is a rotation of about six months aboard the International Space Station. But the range is wide: Yuri Gagarin's flight, on 12 April 1961… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is the space station called?
There are two permanently inhabited stations (September 2026): the International Space Station (ISS), jointly operated by NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA… more…
Moon and Mars
When do launches to the Moon take place?
There's no regular schedule: each trip launches within the window set by orbital mechanics. Apollo 11 departed on July 16, 1969, at 13:32 UTC, and the most… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How does the Falcon 9 land?
The Falcon 9's first stage lands under power: after separating, it flips around, performs a boostback burn if returning to land, slows during reentry with… more…
Rockets and launches
Where does the space shuttle land?
The space shuttle, retired in 2011, landed like a glider on the runway at Kennedy Space Center (Florida), 4,572 m (15,000 ft) long. When weather ruled that… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much falcon 9 launch cost?
SpaceX lists a standard Falcon 9 mission at 69.75 million dollars, with the booster recovered (data as of January 2025). Small satellites can share a ride… more…
Rockets and launches
How fast does the space shuttle travel?
The space shuttle orbited at about 28,000 km/h (7.8 km/s), roughly 17,500 mph, circling Earth every 90 minutes. It took eight and a half minutes to reach that… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Where is there no gravity in space?
Nowhere in space is gravity exactly zero: there is always the pull of some distant mass. What do exist are places where it becomes negligible or where pulls… more…
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (CC BY), vía commons
Moon and Mars
Why is artemis 2 going to the moon?
Artemis II let NASA test, with astronauts aboard, what had only been tried uncrewed: that Orion can carry people to the Moon and bring them home. It flew from… more…
Rockets and launches
What is a space rocket?
A space rocket is a reaction-propelled vehicle that carries both its fuel and oxidizer on board, letting it accelerate outside the atmosphere. Its job is to… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long was Apollo 11 in space?
Apollo 11 lasted 195 hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds, just over eight days: it launched on July 16, 1969 and splashed down in the Pacific on July 24, 1969… more…
Moon and Mars
When is Mars closest to Earth?
Mars is closest to Earth around each opposition, which repeats roughly every 26 months. The next opposition falls on February 19, 2027, at 15:45 UT, and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why did neil armstrong die?
Neil Armstrong died on 25 August 2012, aged 82, from complications following cardiovascular surgery. A stress test that month had revealed blocked coronary… more…
Rockets and launches
When did starship troopers come out?
Starship Troopers is a film, not a rocket: Paul Verhoeven's adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel opened in US cinemas on 7 November 1997. It has no… more…
MBH (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
When was no gravity in space discovered?
There was no such discovery, because there is no absence of gravity in space. Astronauts float because they and their vehicle fall around the Earth together… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What do astronauts eat in space?
Real food, not pills. Aboard the International Space Station, crews combine rehydratable dishes mixed with hot water, thermostabilized food in pouches or… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many apollo 11 astronauts are still alive?
One. Buzz Aldrin, born on 20 January 1930, is the only surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew (as of September 2026). Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long did the saturn v take to build?
Development of the Saturn V ran from 1962, when NASA settled on the configuration, to its first flight in November 1967 — roughly five and a half years from… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How to meet Thomas Pesquet?
By following public announcements: talks, trade shows, science festivals and book signings are scheduled in advance by ESA, CNES or event organisers. A school… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why did blue origin explode?
No Blue Origin rocket has exploded with people on board. The event usually meant is NS-23, an uncrewed New Shepard research flight in September 2022: the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Is there gravity in deep space?
Yes. Gravity has no edge: it weakens with the square of the distance but never falls to zero, so even the emptiest interstellar space is threaded by the pull… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why can't astronauts walk after landing?
After months in weightlessness, the body has lost what it did not need in orbit: leg muscle mass, bone density, the reflex that regulates blood pressure when… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Since when has NASA existed?
NASA has existed since October 1958. President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958; on October 1, 1958, the agency began… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does blue origin land?
Propulsively, tail first. New Shepard's booster restarts its BE-3PM engine, steadies itself with a ring fin and drag brakes and touches down on a concrete pad… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long neil armstrong stayed on moon?
Neil Armstrong was on the Moon for about 21 hours and 36 minutes: Eagle landed on 20 July 1969 at 20:17 UTC and lifted off the next day at 17:54 UTC. Of that… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long apollo 11 took to reach moon?
Apollo 11 took a little over three days to reach the Moon. It lifted off on 16 July 1969 and entered lunar orbit on 19 July, roughly 76 hours after launch… more…
MBH (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
When did Gagarin die?
Yuri Gagarin died on 27 March 1968, in the crash of a MiG-15UTI training jet near Novosyolovo, northeast of Moscow, with instructor Vladimir Seryogin. It was… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much does it cost to launch a rocket?
Launch costs range from a few million dollars for small rockets to billions for institutional giants. A Rocket Lab Electron is offered at around 8 million, a… more…
Richard Dorrell (CC BY SA), vía commons
Moon and Mars
How does the moon affect the tides?
By pulling unevenly on it. Tidal forces vary inversely as the cube of the distance, so the near side of the Earth is tugged harder than the far side: one… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How old was Neil Armstrong?
Neil Armstrong is no longer alive: the Apollo 11 commander was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and died on August 25, 2012, in Cincinnati, just… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts float on the ISS?
Because the Station and its crew fall together. At about 400 km altitude, Earth's gravity is only slightly weaker than at ground level, but the ISS moves fast… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is space dark even though the Sun shines?
Because in space there is almost nothing that can scatter sunlight. On Earth, air molecules spread light across the whole sky, which is why it glows blue. In… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is blue origin so far behind spacex?
Blue Origin started earlier than SpaceX but moved deliberately, funded by Jeff Bezos rather than by customers, and spent well over a decade on suborbital… more…
DLR German Aerospace Center (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
What is artificial gravity in space how it form?
No crewed spacecraft flying today produces artificial gravity; the station and every capsule in service are in permanent free fall. The only practical recipe… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long a rocket takes to reach the moon?
Roughly three days on a crewed Apollo-type trajectory: Apollo 11 lifted off on 16 July 1969, entered lunar orbit on 19 July and landed on 20 July. Robotic… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts age more slowly?
Barely measurably, and biologically not at all. According to relativity, the clock of a fast-flying crew runs slightly slower, while at higher altitude it… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How tall is Alexander Gerst?
ESA does not publish its astronauts' height, including Alexander Gerst's; any figure circulating online has no official source. What is documented: born 3… more…
Moon and Mars
What happens if a rocket crashes into the Moon?
It leaves a crater and little else. With no atmosphere to slow it down or carry a shockwave, the impact excavates the regolith and throws material in every… more…
Moon and Mars
Why is the Moon a satellite?
Because it orbits a planet. For NASA, a satellite is any object that circles a planet, a star, or a moon, and the Moon circles Earth: it's its only natural… more…
Nijuuf (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How much an astronaut suit cost?
Spacesuits have no catalogue price: each one is a bespoke development programme. NASA's Office of Inspector General reported that the agency had spent more… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How old was Neil Armstrong when he died?
Neil Armstrong died at age 82. The first man on the Moon was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and died on August 25, 2012, in Cincinnati from… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How to become an astronaut?
You need an advanced science or engineering degree, several years of relevant professional experience (research, engineering, medicine, piloting), excellent… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why does an astronaut?
The question is cut off, so here are the three it usually is. Astronauts float because they are in free fall around Earth, not because gravity has vanished… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is there gravity on Earth but not in space?
The premise is false: there is gravity in space too. At the height of the International Space Station, about 400 km, Earth's gravity still retains around 90%… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does gravity in space work?
Gravity works the same way in space as on the ground: every mass attracts every other, with a pull that weakens as the square of the distance. Nothing shields… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does Artemis last?
Artemis is a program, not a single trip, so there are several answers. The uncrewed test flight Artemis I launched on November 16, 2022 and ended on December… more…
Moon and Mars
Who was Neil Armstrong?
Neil Armstrong (Ohio, August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was a naval pilot in Korea, a research pilot for the X-15, and a NASA astronaut from 1962. He… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much does an astronaut earn in space?
There's no extra pay for flying: an astronaut earns the same in orbit as at a desk in Houston. NASA's are federal employees at grades GS-13 and GS-14, ESA's… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why don't astronauts go to the moon anymore?
No one has gone since December 1972 and Apollo 17, the last crewed Moon landing. Apollo was first and foremost a political operation: once the race was won… more…
Astronauts and life in space
When do astronauts return to Earth?
When their expedition ends: aboard the International Space Station that's usually about six months, with the spacecraft that brought them staying docked the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
When did astronauts last walk on the moon?
Apollo 17, in December 1972. Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt landed in the Taurus-Littrow valley on 11 December 1972, worked on the surface for three days… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long starship to moon?
Starship is not the vehicle that carries a crew from Earth to the Moon. Under NASA's Artemis plan it flies uncrewed to lunar orbit after refuelling in Earth… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is blue origin company?
Blue Origin is an American space company founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos and based in Kent, Washington. It builds the reusable suborbital New Shepard, which… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How high do astronauts orbit the earth?
Crewed spaceflight today happens a few hundred kilometres up. The International Space Station orbits at about 400 km, lapping the planet roughly every 90… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much a rocket ship cost?
There is no single price: a small orbital rocket such as Rocket Lab's Electron sells for roughly 7–8 million dollars, a Falcon 9 launch is listed at about 70… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Moon and Mars
Why did falcon 9 hit the moon?
Because a spent upper stage on a lunar trajectory has no mission and no way to steer. A Falcon 9 upper stage from the January 2025 Firefly Blue Ghost 1 launch… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does gravity form in space?
Gravity is not formed in space; it is already everywhere. Any mass curves spacetime around it, so the Earth, the Sun and the International Space Station all… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why can't astronauts get cavities?
They can: the claim is exaggerated. But nothing is allowed to flare up in flight, so everything is handled on the ground — dental check-up at selection… more…
Rockets and launches
Why does a rocket launch?
A rocket launches because its engines push exhaust gas downward at very high speed, and by Newton's third law the gas pushes the rocket upward with an equal… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why does an astronaut weigh less on the Moon?
Because the Moon has far less mass and a smaller radius than Earth: its surface gravity is 1.62 m/s², versus 9.81 m/s² on Earth. An 80 kg astronaut still has… more…
Rockets and launches
Why do rockets fly in space?
A rocket doesn't need air to propel itself: it carries both fuel and oxidizer on board and moves forward by reaction, expelling gas at high speed through the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much astronauts get paid?
They draw ordinary salaries, not flight bonuses. NASA's civilian astronauts are federal civil servants paid on the government-wide General Schedule, with the… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
Why do rockets launch from florida?
Rockets launch from Florida because the Cape sits at 28.5 degrees north, low enough to gain about 410 m/s from the Earth's rotation on an eastward launch, and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many languages does Thomas Pesquet speak?
Four: French, his native language, English, Spanish and Russian, according to his official biography at the European Space Agency. English is the station's… more…
Lviatour (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
What did Neil Armstrong see in the Cueva de los Tayos?
An enormous cave full of life, not an extraterrestrial structure. According to an account by a caver on the team, published in 1979, Armstrong was the guest… more…
Rockets and launches
How many Starships have exploded?
Of the eleven integrated flights conducted through October 2025, six ended with at least one stage destroyed (flights 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9), and four of those… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does an astronaut stay in space on average?
A typical mission aboard the International Space Station lasts about six months, the standard crew rotation pace. Test or private flights last only days, and… more…
Rockets and launches
When will Starship fly?
Starship already flies: SpaceX has been conducting integrated test flights of the full rocket (Super Heavy plus Starship) since April 2023, and as of October… more…
MBH (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How long did yuri gagarin stay in space?
One orbit and 108 minutes. Vostok 1 lifted off from Baikonur on 12 April 1961 and Yuri Gagarin was back on the ground near Engels, in the Saratov region, one… more…
Moon and Mars
How does neil armstrong came back from moon?
In three stages. On July 21, 1969, the Eagle lifted off from the Moon at 17:54:01 UTC and docked with the Columbia at 21:34:00 UTC; on July 22, trans-Earth… more…
Moon and Mars
How many rockets have reached the Moon?
No rocket reaches the Moon: what arrives is the spacecraft it launches. Counting crewed landings, the tally is that of the Apollo program, active between 1962… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
Why is a rocket launching today?
Because orbital launches are now near-daily events: 2024 saw around 260 orbital launch attempts worldwide, about half of them by SpaceX's Falcon 9, largely to… more…
Astronauts and life in space
When do astronauts go to the Moon?
No one has walked on the Moon since December 1972, when Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out Apollo 17. NASA's Artemis program is preparing the… more…
Moon and Mars
How much does Artemis II cost?
There's no official figure for Artemis II's cost: the GAO criticized NASA because neither its five-year rolling estimate nor its annual budget request break… more…
Rockets and launches
What are rockets like?
A rocket is essentially an elongated tube filled with propellant, with engines at the base and the payload at the tip. It's divided into stages that are… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is there gravity in space?
Because gravity is a property of mass itself, not of air or of standing on the ground. Any object with mass curves the space around it, and that influence… more…
Source: DLR (CC-BY 3.0) (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How fast can you experience weightlessness?
Weightlessness begins the moment free fall starts, not only in orbit. On a parabolic flight, each phase lasts about 20 seconds, and an ESA research campaign… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What does Blue Origin mean?
Blue Origin refers to Earth: the blue planet is the origin of humanity and, according to the company Jeff Bezos founded in 2000, the place that must be… more…
Moon and Mars
Who discovered the Moon?
No one: the Moon was never discovered, because it is visible to the naked eye and has accompanied humanity since the beginning. What does have an author and a… more…
Moon and Mars
Why doesn't Artemis 2 land on the Moon?
Because it was a crewed test flight, not a landing mission. Artemis II carried four people around the Moon from April 1 to April 10, 2026, to verify that… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much does an Artemis astronaut earn?
Same as any other NASA astronaut: there's no bonus for flying to the Moon. The four Artemis II crew members, announced in April 2023, earn their ordinary… more…
Alexander Gerst (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How long do astronauts stay on the ISS?
A standard rotation aboard the International Space Station lasts about six months. Expedition crews rotate in groups of three or four, with a few days of… more…
Astronauts and life in space
When does an astronaut travel from Earth to the Moon?
About three days. Apollo crews took around 76 hours from liftoff to entering lunar orbit, covering an average distance of 384,400 km. Apollo 11 launched on… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is no gravity in space?
There is gravity in space: the ISS orbits inside a field only about a tenth weaker than at sea level. What is missing is weight. The station and everyone in… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why does an astronaut float in space?
Not because gravity has disappeared: at the altitude of space stations, Earth still pulls on the crew almost as strongly as on the ground. Astronauts float… more…
Anthony Quintano from Mount Laurel, United States (CC BY), vía commons
Rockets and launches
How high do rockets go?
An orbital rocket doesn't climb to a fixed altitude: its goal is an orbit. Most satellites and the International Space Station fly between 200 and 2,000 km… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is gravity like in space?
It's still there, and it's strong. At the 400 km altitude of the International Space Station, Earth's gravity retains close to 90% of its surface value. What… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is gravity different in space?
Because the pull you feel depends on how much mass is nearby and how far you are from its centre. The Moon's surface gravity is 1.62 m/s2, about a sixth of… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does it take an astronaut to get to Mars?
About seven months for the outbound leg on the most recent trip: launched on July 30, 2020, the Perseverance rover landed on Mars on February 18, 2021. A… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
What is the Falcon 9?
The Falcon 9 is SpaceX's two-stage rocket, 70 m tall and 3.7 m in diameter, powered by nine Merlin engines in its first stage, which lands and is reused. It… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What are blue origin rockets?
Two vehicles, plus a family of engines. New Shepard is a reusable suborbital rocket with a six-seat capsule that flies above the Kármán line at 100 km. New… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much an astronaut get paid?
NASA civil-servant astronauts are federal employees paid on the standard General Schedule, and the agency states that astronaut candidates start at the GS-12… more…
Rockets and launches
How fast does a NASA rocket launch?
At the moment of liftoff, a NASA rocket moves very slowly: the Saturn V took about 12 seconds to clear the launch tower, at under 100 km/h. Speed builds… more…
Moon and Mars
When did Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon?
Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon at 02:56:15 UT on July 21, 1969, already early morning in Europe, with the Eagle lunar module having landed at 20:17:40 UT… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long did Thomas Pesquet stay in space?
Thomas Pesquet completed two long-duration stays aboard the International Space Station: the Proxima mission in 2016-2017 and the Alpha mission in 2021. He… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much does an astronaut earn per month?
A NASA astronaut is paid under the federal GS scale, between GS-11 and GS-14 (as of September 2026): the agency posted an annual range of about $104,898 to… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How fast do astronauts travel in space?
About 28,000 km/h (17,500 mph) for anyone aboard the International Space Station — roughly 5 miles per second, one lap of the planet every 90 minutes. Orbital… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do you pronounce Blue Origin?
In English it's pronounced roughly "bloo OR-ih-jin," with the stress on the first syllable of Origin and a soft "g," as in "gin." In Spanish it's common to… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
What is SpaceX's Falcon 9?
Falcon 9 is SpaceX's orbital launcher: a two-stage rocket about 70 m tall, with nine kerosene-and-liquid-oxygen Merlin engines on its first stage, which first… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does weightlessness occur?
Through free fall. As soon as a body and its surroundings fall at the same rate, nothing presses against a surface anymore; that's exactly what happens in… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much blue origin worth?
Blue Origin is privately held and has never published a valuation. It is owned and funded by Jeff Bezos, has no shares traded, files no public accounts and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why does an astronaut float in a space station?
Not because gravity has disappeared: at 400 km altitude, it still equals about 90% of its surface value. The station and its crew are simply falling together… more…
Astronauts and life in space
When was blue origin founded?
Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, two years before SpaceX. It worked almost in silence for its first decade, flew the suborbital New Shepard from… more…
Moon and Mars
Why isn't Mars habitable?
Because its atmosphere is unbreathable and barely there: 95.1% carbon dioxide and an average surface pressure of just 6.36 mb. With so little atmosphere… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many times has Alexander Gerst been in space?
Alexander Gerst has been in space twice, both times on the International Space Station: in 2014 with Blue Dot, 166 days, and in 2018 with Horizons, another… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many astronauts have walked on the Moon?
Twelve people have walked on the Moon, all of them American, all between July 1969 and December 1972, during the six Apollo missions that landed: Apollo 11… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do satellites stay in orbit around Earth?
Satellites don't float: they keep falling toward Earth, but they move sideways so fast that the surface curves away beneath them at the same rate. At 400 km… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How old would Neil Armstrong be today?
Neil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and died on August 25, 2012, at age 82. On August 5, 2026, he would have turned 96, so he… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does weightlessness work?
Weightlessness isn't the absence of gravity but free fall. The ISS orbits Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers, at roughly 28,000 km/h, and takes… more…
Astronauts and life in space
When did astronauts walk on the moon?
Twelve astronauts walked on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972, on six Apollo landings. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were first, stepping out on… more…
jurvetson (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
Where did the astronauts land?
It depends on the vehicle. Apollo capsules splashed down in the Pacific, picked up by aircraft carriers; Soyuz lands on the Kazakh steppe, near Dzhezkazgan… more…
Moon and Mars
Why does NASA want to leave Earth?
NASA does not want to leave Earth: its Earth Science division operates more than 20 satellites whose data is freely available. Exploring beyond Earth is… more…
Moon and Mars
Which Artemis mission lands on the Moon?
Artemis IV, planned for early 2028: two of its crew members will descend to the surface and spend about a week near the lunar south pole (as of October 2026)… more…
Raimond Spekking (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How much does an ESA astronaut earn?
An ESA astronaut holds a staff contract with the space agency and is paid like the rest of its workforce: salary depends on the post's pay grade, plus… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much do rockets cost?
An orbital launch today costs anywhere from about $70 million for a SpaceX Falcon 9 (list price, as of December 2024) to more than $2 billion for a NASA SLS… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
Where does a rocket land?
Most rockets don't land at all: their stages fall into the ocean or uninhabited areas. Only reusable boosters come back, like SpaceX's Falcon 9, which touches… more…
ESO/G. Lombardi (CC BY), vía commons
Moon and Mars
How long does it take the Moon to orbit the Earth?
The Moon completes one orbit of Earth in 27.3217 days, its sidereal orbital period, measured against the stars. The cycle of phases we see from the ground… more…
Rockets and launches
Why does a rocket launch into space?
A rocket launches into space because it is the only practical way to reach orbital speed. Orbit is less about altitude than velocity: a satellite must travel… more…
Moon and Mars
Is it true that Artemis 2 went to the Moon?
Yes, though without landing. Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026 from Kennedy and flew around the Moon with four crew members aboard Orion; it splashed down… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why doesn't Thomas Pesquet want to go to Mars anymore?
Nothing supports such a refusal: Thomas Pesquet has never announced giving up on Mars. He mainly points out that the planet remains technically out of reach… more…
Rockets and launches
Largest rocket ever built?
By every measure the largest rocket ever built is SpaceX's Starship with its Super Heavy booster: more than 120 m tall, about 5,000 tonnes at liftoff and… more…
Rockets and launches
How fast is the world's biggest rocket?
The largest rocket ever built, Starship, reaches about 27,000 km/h (7.5 km/s) in its test flights and will hit the 28,000 km/h of low Earth orbit once it… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Which astronaut is Canadian?
Canada has sent about a dozen astronauts into space. The first was Marc Garneau, who flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger in October 1984. Other notable names… more…
Rockets and launches
How much does the biggest rocket weigh?
The heaviest rocket ever built is SpaceX's Starship, which weighs close to 5,000 t fully fuelled on the pad; more than 90 percent of that is liquid methane… more…
Moon and Mars
Is it true that a rocket crashed into the Moon?
Yes. On March 4, 2022, an abandoned rocket stage hit the Moon near Hertzsprung crater, on the far side. NASA's LRO probe photographed the result: a double… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How fast do astronauts return to earth?
Astronauts come home at orbital speed: a capsule leaving the International Space Station starts from the station's own speed of some 28 800 km/h, and air… more…
Rockets and launches
How big is the world's largest rocket?
Starship, by SpaceX, stands about 121 m tall and 9 m in diameter. Its first stage, Super Heavy, carries 33 Raptor engines producing more than 70 MN of thrust… more…
LunchboxLarry (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
Why does blue origin have a feather?
The feather is Blue Origin's emblem of flight, and it appears on the company crest alongside the Latin motto gradatim ferociter, step by step ferociously. Two… more…
Moon and Mars
Why isn't the Moon out?
The Moon rises every day, but not always at night: the time it rises shifts throughout the roughly 29.5-day phase cycle. At new moon it rises and sets almost… more…
Rockets and launches
How does the saturn v work?
Saturn V worked by staging: a kerosene first stage with five F-1 engines (about 34,000 kN) lifted the 2,800 t rocket for two and a half minutes, a… more…
Event Horizon Telescope (CC BY), vía commons
Astronomy and the universe
Why do black holes have such enormous gravity?
It's not the mass that makes the difference, but the density. From far away, a black hole pulls with the same force as a star of equal mass. But because all… more…
Rockets and launches
Who built the world's largest rocket?
The world's largest rocket, Starship, is designed, built, and launched by SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk in 2002. It is built at Starbase, the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many times has Thomas Pesquet been to space?
Thomas Pesquet has been to space twice, each time for a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station: the Proxima mission, from November 2016 to… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does the bathroom work on the ISS?
On the ISS, airflow replaces gravity: a fan draws urine through a funnel and hose, and solids through a small seat opening into a bagged container. Urine is… more…
Rockets and launches
What are rockets?
A rocket is a vehicle or engine that propels itself by expelling at high speed the mass it carries on board, without needing outside air — which is why it… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Did astronauts really go to the Moon?
Yes. Twelve people walked on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972, during the six Apollo missions that landed: 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17. They brought… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long spacex ipo will last?
The question rests on a false premise: SpaceX has not held an initial public offering, and there is no announced date for one. The company remains privately… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long did Alexander Gerst spend in space?
Alexander Gerst took part in two long-duration ISS missions: from May 28 to November 10, 2014, on Blue Dot, and from June 6 to December 20, 2018, on horizons… more…
Rockets and launches
What is the biggest rocket ever built?
The biggest rocket ever built is SpaceX's Starship: with its Super Heavy booster it stands about 120 m tall and 9 m in diameter, and its 33 Raptor engines… more…
Moon and Mars
How many Apollo missions landed on the Moon?
Six Apollo missions landed on the Moon: Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17, between July 1969 and December 1972. On each one, two astronauts descended—twelve… more…
Rockets and launches
How much did the space race cost?
The American side is documented: Project Apollo cost about 25.4 billion dollars as reported to Congress in 1973, roughly 257 billion in 2020 dollars, with… more…
Rockets and launches
What is the Saturn V?
The Saturn V was the three-stage rocket NASA used to send astronauts to the Moon during the Apollo program. It stood 110.6 m tall, weighed about 2,900 t, and… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How fast does the Falcon 9 travel?
The Falcon 9 accelerates its payload to about 7.8 km/s, around 28,000 km/h, in just under nine minutes to reach low Earth orbit. The first stage separates at… more…
Rockets and launches
What is a rocket?
A rocket is a vehicle or engine propelled by expelling the gases of its own combustion at high speed, without drawing in outside air: it carries its own fuel… more…
Moon and Mars
How fast was Apollo 11 going?
NASA documents a specific figure: the command module Columbia entered Earth's atmosphere at 39,000 km/h (24,000 mph) on the way back from the Moon. About nine… more…
Moon and Mars
Why can't they land on the Moon?
Yes, they can: the Apollo 11 module touched down in the Mare Tranquillitatis on July 20, 1969 at 20:17:40 UT, and the crew spent 21 hours and 36 minutes on… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long did Apollo 11 spend on the Moon?
The Eagle lunar module spent nearly a full day on the Moon: it landed on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC in the Sea of Tranquility and lifted off on July 21 at… more…
Moon and Mars
Why does neil armstrong have a hollywood star?
Strictly he does not have a star. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins share four circular monuments resembling the Moon, one at each corner of Hollywood and Vine… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Does gravity change in space?
Yes — it weakens with distance, but it never switches off. Gravity falls with the square of the distance from a body's centre, so at the 400 km (250 mi)… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How fast does the ISS travel in m/s?
About 7,700 meters per second, that is, about 7.7 kilometers per second; in the more common unit, around 28,000 km/h. At that orbital speed, the ISS circles… more…
Satellites and orbit
How long do satellites operate?
Satellites usually stop working when the fuel for orbit and attitude correction runs out; radiation, aging batteries, and solar cells set the second limit… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is there weightlessness in space?
Weightlessness doesn't happen because there's no gravity in space: in the ISS's orbit, Earth pulls almost as strongly as at the surface. What happens is that… more…
LunchboxLarry (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How much blue origin ticket?
Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, then Amazon's CEO, headquartered in Kent, Washington. The company operated quietly in its early years and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Who are astronauts?
Astronauts are professionals selected and trained by a space agency or company to crew spacecraft and work in orbit. They typically come from military… more…
Moon and Mars
Who created Apollo 11?
It wasn't the work of one person. Apollo 11 was a NASA mission built by an industrial consortium: North American Rockwell built the command module Columbia… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts float in space?
Because they are falling, not because gravity is missing. At 400 km (250 mi) up, Earth still pulls with about 90% of the force felt at sea level, but the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts have to quarantine?
So that no one boards a capsule they can't simply leave while sick: before launch, crews live in isolation, with medical checks and limited contact. After the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is an astronaut's maximum absorbency garment?
The MAG is the absorbent undergarment worn under a pressure suit — in plain terms an engineered adult diaper. It is used during launch, re-entry and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts say houston?
Because Houston is where mission control is. Since 1965, crewed US spaceflights have been controlled from the Mission Control Center at what is now NASA's… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does an astronaut poop in space?
With suction instead of gravity. Space toilets use a fan-driven airflow to pull waste away from the body: solid waste goes into a bag inside a canister, urine… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
What are falcon 9 rockets?
Falcon 9 is SpaceX's two-stage orbital launch vehicle: about 70 m tall, roughly 549 t at lift-off, powered by nine Merlin engines on a first stage that lands… more…
European Space Agency (CC BY SA), vía commons
Moon and Mars
How does the Moon block the Sun?
It's a coincidence of scale: the Moon is about 400 times smaller than the Sun, but it's also about 400 times closer to Earth, so both disks appear almost the… more…
Moon and Mars
Is it true that Mars has life?
There is no confirmed life on Mars: no mission has found an organism or conclusive proof (as of October 2026). There are clues, though: in September 2025 NASA… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What happens if astronauts take off their helmets in space?
The body doesn't explode or freeze instantly — the person loses consciousness. As pressure disappears, body fluids start to vaporize — a condition called… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts exercise so much?
Because weightlessness unloads the body: muscles, bones, heart and circulation deteriorate quickly without effort. That's why training is on the ISS crew's… more…
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Mars JWST/GTO team (CC BY), vía commons
Moon and Mars
Can Mars be seen from Earth?
Yes, with the naked eye and no instrument needed: Mars is recognizable as an orange-ish point that barely twinkles. Its brightness varies because the distance… more…
Rockets and launches
How to watch a space launch
There are two ways: live online, through the free broadcasts from SpaceX, NASA, ESA, or Arianespace, which start minutes before liftoff, or in person from… more…
Moon and Mars
How old was Neil Armstrong when he walked on the Moon?
Neil Armstrong was 38 years old when he walked on the Moon. He was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and set foot on the lunar surface on July 21… more…
Rockets and launches
What are the biggest rockets?
By size and thrust, the biggest rockets are SpaceX's Starship (about 123 m tall, roughly 74 MN of liftoff thrust), NASA's Saturn V (110.6 m, 34.5 MN, 140 t to… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How much do rockets cost?
An orbital launch costs anywhere from about $7.5 million on a light rocket like Electron to over $2 billion on NASA's SLS, according to its Office of… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do astronauts wash themselves?
Aboard the International Space Station, there's no shower: water doesn't fall, it sticks to the skin. Crews wash with a wet cloth, using no-rinse soap and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does an astronaut get paid?
Like any other government employee, in the case of NASA: civilian astronauts are federal civil servants paid on the General Schedule, with a regular salary… more…
Steve Jurvetson from Los Altos, USA (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How much gravity is in space compared to earth?
It depends entirely on where in space you are, and near Earth the answer surprises people: at the International Space Station's 400 km altitude, gravity is… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How high up are astronauts?
Active astronauts work in low Earth orbit: the International Space Station flies at around 400 km altitude, and China's Tiangong orbits at a similar height… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many g's can astronauts withstand?
In orbit astronauts feel practically 0 g, because they fall freely around the Earth. They only bear load at liftoff and on return, when acceleration reaches… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why do astronauts age faster?
The premise is reversed: in low orbit, astronauts actually age very slightly slower than we do. Orbital speed slows their clock more than the lower gravity… more…
Rockets and launches
How much starship cost?
SpaceX doesn't publish a launch price for Starship: the vehicle is still in testing and only flies its own payloads. The company has stated it aims for a cost… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Can you be an astronaut if you're nearsighted?
Yes. NASA doesn't require perfect vision, only distant visual acuity correctable to 20/20 in each eye, so glasses and contact lenses are acceptable… more…
Astronauts and life in space
When did astronauts go to the moon?
Twelve people have walked on the Moon, all between July 1969 and December 1972. Apollo 11 landed on 20 July 1969 with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Five… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How many astronauts have died?
So far, four spaceflights have ended in deaths: Soyuz 1, with Vladimir Komarov (1967); Soyuz 11, with three cosmonauts (1971); the Challenger, with seven… more…
Satellites and orbit
How long can satellites remain in space?
From months to centuries, depending on orbital altitude. In low orbits, residual atmosphere brakes the satellite, which ends up falling without correction… more…
Moon and Mars
Did they really land on the Moon?
Yes, and not just once: six Apollo missions — 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 — landed between July 1969 and December 1972. Twelve people walked on the surface… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Is it true that astronauts don't age in space?
No. They age the same as on the ground and, in some ways, deteriorate faster: they lose between 1% and 1.5% of bone density per month in weight-bearing areas… more…
General
Can you see the Great Wall of China from space, and how long is it?
From the ISS, the Great Wall of China is practically invisible to the naked eye: it is narrow, follows the terrain and matches the colour of its surroundings… more…
Tim Evanson from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, USA (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
How does an astronaut look like?
There is no astronaut physique or face: crews are ordinary adults who pass a medical and a selection board. What is distinctive is the kit — white… more…
LunchboxLarry (CC BY), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
Why is blue origin logo a feather?
Blue Origin uses the feather as an emblem of flight itself: the company presents it as a symbol of flight's perfection, grace and freedom rather than of speed… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is gravity in space?
It is exactly the same force as on Earth: the mutual attraction between masses, which decreases with distance but never reaches zero. In the orbit of the… more…
Rockets and launches
What is the name of the world's biggest rocket?
The world's biggest rocket is SpaceX's Starship: about 123 m tall with its Super Heavy first stage and nearly 5,000 t on the pad (as of September 2026). It… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long starship to mars?
Six to nine months of flight, set by orbital mechanics rather than by the rocket: a typical Mars cruise runs about seven months, as with Perseverance, which… more…
Rockets and launches
How did the space shuttle land?
The shuttle, retired in 2011, landed as an unpowered glider: after a deorbit burn in orbit, it reentered nose-high to shed heat, performed S-turns to lose… more…
Rockets and launches
How tall is the world's biggest rocket?
The world's biggest rocket, SpaceX's Starship, stands about 123 m tall with its Super Heavy booster, and 9 m in diameter (as of September 2026). It is taller… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long neil armstrong on moon?
Armstrong spent about 2 hours 31 minutes outside the lunar module on the surface, and roughly 21 hours 36 minutes on the Moon in total, counting the time… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Is it true that an astronaut called his wife from the Moon?
No: there were no private calls from the lunar surface. Everything the astronauts said went through Houston's radio loop and was broadcast live, with families… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much an astronaut earn?
NASA's civilian astronauts are ordinary federal employees: they draw a General Schedule salary set by grade and step, with no bonus for a launch or a… more…
Moon and Mars
Can Apollo 11 be seen from Earth?
Not with a telescope: the descent stage left behind in the Sea of Tranquility is too small for any ground-based instrument and had to be photographed from… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What happens if there's no gravity in space?
The premise is wrong: there is gravity in space. At the 400 km altitude where the International Space Station orbits, Earth's pull still retains about 90% of… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How fast was the Apollo 11 rocket going?
The Saturn V gained speed stage by stage: after two and a half minutes, the first stage took Apollo 11 to an altitude of 61 kilometers, flying at 8,000 km/h… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What are blue origin leadership principles?
Blue Origin's leadership principles are the behaviours it hires, reviews and promotes on, set out on its careers pages rather than as a widely published… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much do astronauts earn?
Astronauts are civil servants or military personnel on public salaries, not millionaires. At NASA, civilian candidates are hired at GS-13 and GS-14 levels of… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much gravity in outer space?
Gravity is everywhere and never falls to zero; it only weakens with distance, following an inverse-square law. Surface gravity is 9.80 m/s² on Earth, 1.62… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How did Alexander Gerst become an astronaut?
Through Earth science: Gerst, born in 1976 in Künzelsau, earned his doctorate in geophysics researching active volcanoes before the ESA selected him in 2009… more…
Moon and Mars
How long does it take Starship to get to Mars?
No Starship has flown to Mars yet (as of October 2026). SpaceX's plan targets transits of three to four months, which require departing with full tanks after… more…
Luc Viatour (CC BY SA), vía commons
Astronauts and life in space
What is gravity in space time?
In general relativity, gravity is not a force pulling objects together but the curvature of spacetime itself. Mass and energy bend the four-dimensional… more…
Moon and Mars
What is the gravity on Mars?
On Mars, gravitational acceleration at the equator is 3.69 m/s², versus 9.78 m/s² on Earth; a ratio of 0.377. Mass stays the same, only weight decreases… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
How tall is the Falcon 9?
The Falcon 9 stands 70 m (229.6 ft) tall with its fairing and 3.7 m (12 ft) in diameter, according to SpaceX's official figures. Its liftoff mass is about 549… more…
Image pending
Moon and Mars
How long does it take a space shuttle to reach the Moon?
It never reached it and never could: the space shuttle was a low Earth orbit vehicle, designed for altitudes between 185 and 643 kilometers (115 to 400… more…
Moon and Mars
What are neil armstrong's famous words?
He said: "That's one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind." That's how the annotated transcript of the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal records it… more…
Moon and Mars
Why is the moon red tonight?
Almost always it's our atmosphere, not the Moon itself: when it's low on the horizon, its light crosses much more air, which scatters away the blue and lets… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How fast do astronauts travel in space?
It depends on the orbit. Astronauts on the International Space Station travel at about 7.7 km/s, close to 28,000 km/h, circling Earth roughly every 90… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why don't astronauts go outside?
Astronauts do go outside the spacecraft, but only when a task justifies it. Each spacewalk, known as an extravehicular activity, requires hours of… more…
Rockets and launches
What does Starship mean?
Starship literally means a spacecraft built for travel between stars. SpaceX adopted the name in November 2018 for the vehicle it had until then called BFR… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How can weightlessness be created on Earth?
Real weightlessness only occurs in free fall, and on Earth it can only be sustained briefly: about 20 seconds per maneuver in a parabolic flight, barely a few… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What is gravity in space compared to earth?
Earth's 9.80 m/s² is the yardstick. Aboard the ISS, 400 km (250 mi) up, gravity is still about 90% of that value, even though the crew floats. On the Moon it… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does gravity exist in space?
Gravity is a property of mass itself, so it exists everywhere there is matter, including the vacuum of space. Its pull weakens with the square of the distance… more…
Astronauts and life in space
What does gravity do in space?
Gravity doesn't vanish in space — it's exactly what holds every orbit together. At 400 km altitude, where the International Space Station flies, it's still… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much blue origin rocket cost?
Blue Origin does not publish a list price for its rockets, so there is no official figure. Seats on the suborbital New Shepard have been sold at auction and… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How fast do astronauts travel to the moon?
Speed changed constantly. Apollo 11 covered the 384,400 km to the Moon in just over four days from lift-off to touchdown. But the pace was never steady: the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is there weightlessness on the space station?
Not because there's no gravity there: at the ISS's orbital altitude, Earth attracts with almost the same force as at the surface. The station orbits it at… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How do astronauts go to the bathroom?
With suction toilets: a personal funnel and a narrow seat draw away urine and waste using airflow, since in microgravity nothing falls on its own. Urine goes… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why can Thomas Pesquet no longer go to space?
False: nothing rules out another flight for Thomas Pesquet. He still belongs to ESA's astronaut corps and has announced no withdrawal. What is missing are… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How much does Alexander Gerst earn?
Alexander Gerst has been a staff astronaut with ESA since 2009 and is paid according to the agency's internal salary scheme, not by flights or mission… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long a rocket takes to reach space?
Minutes, not hours. A suborbital New Shepard flight crosses the 100 km Karman line a few minutes after lift-off and the whole trip lasts about 11 minutes… more…
Foto: SpaceX (CC0)
Rockets and launches
Why does a rocket blast off so fast?
A rocket blasts off because its engines' thrust exceeds its weight, and that margin keeps growing every second: thrust stays constant or increases while the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why does an astronaut feel weightless in space?
Because they are in free fall, not because gravity has vanished. At the ISS altitude of about 400 km Earth's pull is only slightly weaker than at sea level… more…
Moon and Mars
When is the Moon in its first quarter?
First quarter arrives when the Moon has traveled a quarter of its roughly 29.5-day phase cycle: it sits halfway between new moon and full moon, with half its… more…
Rockets and launches
What are the biggest rocket companies?
By launch volume the biggest rocket company is SpaceX, which flew more than 160 orbital missions in 2025, far ahead of anyone else. The other major players… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How does blue origin work?
Blue Origin is a private space company founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000. It builds and flies its own rockets and engines: New Shepard, a reusable suborbital… more…
Astronauts and life in space
Why is blue origin so slow?
Blue Origin was built on deliberate, owner-funded incrementalism: its motto is Gradatim Ferociter, step by step, and it spent its first two decades on… more…
Astronauts and life in space
At what altitude does weightlessness occur?
Weightlessness isn't tied to an altitude but to a cause: free fall. In a parabolic flight it appears just a few kilometres up, as soon as the plane only… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How long does it take Artemis to reach the Moon?
The outbound trip takes only a few days. Artemis II is planned as a roughly ten-day flight: launch, systems testing in Earth orbit, a wide loop behind the… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How quickly does someone die in space?
Neither instantly nor from explosion: in a vacuum, consciousness is lost within seconds, because blood stops picking up oxygen; it's fatal if no one restores… more…
Astronauts and life in space
How is weightlessness simulated?
On Earth, weightlessness can only be reproduced temporarily or partially. Genuine free fall is provided by parabolic flights, with about 20 seconds per… more…

Space: questions and answers

How long does it take a rocket to get to Mars?

What space launch is happening today?

What does weightlessness feel like?

What are space rockets?

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